Legacy
by ANBU-Kakashi-ANBU
Summary: The Godaime happens upon a an old sealed mission report, that had been addressed to the Sandaime. Upon opening it, she realizes why the report had been hidden away for so long. What was so secretive that no one had bothered to read? Kakashi & OC
1. Chapter 1

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Legacy  
kakashilvr(at)yahoo(dot)com

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**Summary:**  
The Godaime happens upon a an old sealed mission report, that had been addressed to the Sandaime. Upon opening it, she realizes why the report had been hidden away for so long. What is written in it? What was so secretive that no one had bothered to read it? Kakashi/OC pairing.

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**Author's Note:**  
A huge fan of Kakashi, and feel as of late, he hasn't been getting the attention in the series that he deserves. The filler eps are nice, but deep down wanting to see Kakashi Gaiden animated (if they ever) would be a dream come true. So, this is just my way of "filling" in my own way.

I adore Kakashi pairings, but of course, dont like yaoi pairings (sorry to those who do, I just can't stand when they are taken OOC like that). I follow all the Kakashi (hetero) stories posted, and like many of them, even the Kakashi/Saku ones; that is if they are well written and are "believable". But its also hard to take seriously that pairing because of the "age" gap. So here is my offering to plate. A Kakashi/OC pairing.

Appologize if my OC is a little bit of a "mary-sue", but Im not making her out to be "super-woman" or anything. Just bare with me, and I hope that you all enjoy it. Comments always welcomed.

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**Prologue**

Tsunade breathed in deeply as she poured over the pile of papers before her, trying to catch up with the reports from the Jounins and their teams over the missions they completed recently. Even after 2 1/2 years of recovery, Konoha was still without many skilled shinobi to take on the missions and some teams were going on back to back missions. But, with a larger number of recently graduated genin from their academy, she knew that her worries would be short lived.

"Here are more reports," Shizune stated as she entered the Godaime's office, placing a pile of scrolls and a couple of books on the table before her. "These should be the last of them."

Tsunade slowly nodded. "Its amazing how many missions our teams have accepted considering the small amount of available shinobi we have," she commented.

Shizune slowly nodded, then smiled. "It only shows, Tsunade-san, that there are those out there who still trust that we are doing the best job with the best of ninja's we can provide," she said. She then looked down at the books and fingered one lightly. "Oh, I almost forgot."

She lifted several books and pulled out a piece of paper that was folded into three.

"This was burried under some of the sandaime's personal effects," she said. "Though, it doesn't look like it was something that needed to be returned to his family."

"What is it?"

Shizune shrugged a little. "Its sealed with a wax seal, and seeing that it was for the Sandaime, Im assuming that it should be for your eyes only," she said.

Tsunade put down the paper she was reading and gently took the piece of parchment from Shizune. She turned it over and saw the bright red wax that held the paper closed, with the seal of the last Hokage, imprinted into the wax. She grabbed her letter opener from the side of her desk and slowly ran the small blade under the flap of the paper to break the seal, gently opening it.

"This is an old report," Tsunade stated as she looked over the writing on the paper. Quickly scanning it, her eyes widened as she looked it over.

"What is it?" Shizune asked noticing her sudden change in expression.

"Shizune, where exactly was this hidden?"

Shizune shrugged but pointed in the direction of another room. "It was with the other reports," she said. "The older ones that no one got to."

"Get me a messenger falcon as soon as you can," Tsunade said as she stood from her desk. "I need to send a message to the Hidden Village of Rain."

"Is there something wrong?" Shizune inquired.

Tsunade could only shake her head as she held the paper in her hands. "I cannot say, and until I can confirm what is written in this report, its best that no one knows of this," she said.

"I understand."

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**Chapter 1**

_2 weeks later._

Kakashi stared down at the dark stone before him, as he did every morning for the last decade. Knowing he would find solace here, he would wake every morning, leaving the comfort of his small apartment, making his way to the memorial stone, he promised himself that he would do since their deaths.

Obito. Rin. Yondaime.

How could have they changed him so much.

_"Life isn't about following the rules."_

The Yondaime's words echoed as a reminder to the events that changed him over the last few years. It wasn't important until Obito made him see it.

_"Oy, Kakashi, you're going to be late again."_

The voice he echoed in his mind. The voice he had sorely missed of his best friend. And he realized how much Obito had meant to him when he was suddenly gone from his life.

The Yondaime and Rin were all that he had left during that time, and as his sensei moved on to be the next Hokage, he moved onto joining the ANBU and Rin...

Kneeling down before the memorial, he quickly found her name etched into the dark stone, among many that followed after her. It was that time in his life, he felt as if he failed his best friend again. And the Yondaime...

Why was it that anyone he got close to, they were suddenly ripped away?

_"Kakashi, get going!"_ the voice nagged.

Coming to stand again, he looked up seeing the faint signs of the morning sun start to illuminate the sky. With a heavy sigh, he quietly left the memorial stone, promising to visit as he always did every morning.

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Tusnade breathed in deeply as two jounin from Rain stood before her. She leaned forward in her seat, resting her arms on the desk before her. She eyed them closely, regarding the female jouning carefully. She was tall, slim, wearing a simple dark blue tunic over a mesh covered shirt, that covered 3/4ths of her arms. Black leather gloves adorned her delicate hands, emblazened with the symbol of Hidden Rain Village on the metal plate that covered them. She wore her long black hair tied back, braided to just before the end, where small tendrils hung lazily at her waist. However, as strikingly beautiful that she was that Tsunade noted, the woman's only uncovered eye stared at a point just above her, as she held tightly to a staff at her side, suppporting her. A pale purple was the color of her exposed right eye, as the hitai-ate she wore covered the left side of her face.

"I appologize for requesting your presense here, Kie," Tsunade stated. "But Im sure, you would have found an excuse to come to Leaf, in light that we are hosting this year's Chuunin Examination, and several of your genin teams are here."

The woman smiled, slowly nodding her direction. "I always knew that one day, I would be asked to return, Hokage-sama," the woman said. "After all, I took the Chuunin Exam here as well, despite those who were against my taking the test."

Tsunade nodded. "I have cleared it with your Amekage, that we shall retain your services through-out the examination, and then ask that you stay on with us for a least a year," she said simply. "As you know, we have one gennin from Cloud that is taking the examination, and would like your expertise on the matter."

"I'm assuming that the gennin also shares my handicap?"

"Yes, and we have received word from his Jounin sensei that he is a little aprehensive about taking the test with his teammates," Tsunade stated.

The woman smiled and nodded. "I will be more than happy to work with him prior to the start of the examination," she said. "However, for the rest of my stay here?"

Tsunade slowly nodded. "Since you are a trained medic-nin, we have received word that there are special techniques developed by your Village to aid in the healing and curing of certain ailments. I would like to work with you closely, on how we can learn to use your techniques to aid us."

Kie smiled. "I'd be more than happy to," she said. "Im not the strongest of medic nins from Rain, however, I do know many of the new techniques that have been developed."

Tsunade smiled. "We have arranged a small apartment for you in our Jounin Complex, and I will assign a jounin to help you through your transition here," she said. She then pulled out a piece of paper and slowly stood to walk over to her. "This is the gennin team that I wish for you to work with, from Cloud. Just a couple of days, which is why I asked for you to come early before the tests began. Once the examinations begin, I may call upon you to do some small missions to acquaint yourself with the way things are done here."

"That'll be perfect," the woman stated.

Tsunade then turned to the Jounin who escorted her here. "Please see that Hashiba-san, meets up with her teammates, and finds her apartment," she said. "I would like to meet with you tomorrow morning, Kie. I can introduce you to those who work at our local Hospital so you can get a feel of things over there."

Kie nodded. "I thank you for your hospitality, Hokage-sama," she said with a bow. "Im sure that there will be lot that we can learn from each other."

"Yes, I believe that there are."

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Kakashi landed quietly on the wooden post that spanned the red bridge that he used as his meeting place for his team. He was surprised to see that Naruto and Sakura were already there, speaking with a team of gennin and their jounin from the Hidden Village of Rain.

_'Ah, they are here for the Exam as well,'_ he thought to himself. He remembered that he was to tell Naruto that he would be joining Ebisu's team to round out the three that would take the exam together, and needed to get their permission papers to the exam room, two days from now.

He was about to make his presence known, as he had done for the past few years, when he was suddenly startled by another voice near him.

"Kai-sensei!"

He slowly turned to his right, to see a young woman shinobi standing on the farside of the post he was on. He studied her for a moment seeing that she was also from Rain, as she jumped down from the post she was on, and moved to join the Genin team.

"Hashiba-sensei!" one of the Rain Genin exclaimed.

"Kakashi-sensei!" he then heard Sakura's high pitched yell, waking him from the daze he was in. Why hadn't he had sensed her? And she was standing so close.

"You're late!" Naruto finished for her as Kakashi jumped down from his post and slowly approached them, not bothering to offer his latest excuse for his tardiness. All he could do was notice the four strangers as they greeted the young woman.

"I see you've made some acquaintances, Naruto," Kakashi stated as he joined his two students.

"Um, sensei," Naruto said as he turned to them. "These are the Gennins from Hidden Rain who will be taking the Exam. They said they were waiting for their companion, and we just started talking about what to expect for the examinations."

"I see," Kakashi stated.

Sakura slowly led her teacher over to the small team and bowed slightly, smiling as she greeted them. "Sensei, this is Rika, Hikaru and Kenji, and their jounin sensei, Kai," she introduced. She then eyed the young woman who joined them. "Im sorry, but I didn't get your name."

The young woman turned to them and smiled as she tilted her head a bit, as if she was trying to hear clearly what was being said.

"I am Kie Hashiba," she said with a smile. She then slowly kneeled before them. "You are from this village?"

"Yes," Naruto immediately answered.

The woman smiled at his apparent enthusiasm. "And you are?"

"Naruto Uzumaki," the young boy stated as he huffed his chest and winked. "I am going to be the next Hokage, and no one is going to stop me."

The woman smiled. "Im sure you will be able to do so," she said. "May I?"

Naruto watched as she slowly took of the gloves she wore and then reach out toward him.

"Its alright, Naruto," Kai stated. "Hashiba-sensei just wants to know what you look like."

"Look like?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, Hashiba-sama, is blind," Sakura whispered into his ear.

"Eh?"

Kie quietly laughed to herself. "I know its quite strange, Naruto-san," she said. "But this is the way I can see people; to know what they look like," she said. "I promise, it won't hurt, maybe tickle a little."

Naruto stared at her for a moment, then slowly took a step forward and he watched as her hands came to rest on his collar, and slowly moved over his neck then come to rest on the sides of his face. Her touch was cool against his skin, and he felt a slight tingle wherever the tips of her fingers touched. She smiled as she then moved one her left hand away, and with her right hand, slowly let her fingers glide over his forehead, near the edge of his hitai-ate, down over his nose and then come to rest at his chin. She leaned in for a bit, breathed in deeply.

"Too much, Ramen isn't good for you, Naruto-san," she said with a smile. "I hope you're varying your diet to take in vegetables as well."

"How...how did you know?" Naruto stammered.

"Soup stock, the smell of won ton, char-siu," she said. "Im sure your sensei is also keeping close tabs on your diet?"

"Oh, Hashiba-sama, this is our sensei, Kakashi--"

"Hatake?" the woman finished as she slowly stood, slowy pulling on the gloves she had taken off. "Its a pleasure to meet you. Your reputation precedes you."

"Pleasure to meet you, Hashiba-san," Kakashi stated. "You're the medic nin that the Hokage had summoned for?"

Kie slowly nodded. "Yes," she said. "I'll be overseeing one of the gennins from Cloud until the examination starts," she said. "Then will be offering my service to Konoha until the Hokage feels that I've done what I can."

"Im sure we will benefit from your service, Hashiba-san," Kakashi stated. He then turned to Naruto as he handed the boy the familiar permission slip. "Naruto, you are to meet up with Ebisu's team so you can train for the next two days with his gennins. They will be rounding out your team for the exam."

Naruto slowly nodded.

"Remember, you must be there 2 days from now, by 3pm to hand in your slips," Kakashi stated. "Dont be late. I have to meet with the Hokage now, but if you need help, just let Ebisu know and I will be there to help your team."

"Im sure we can handle it, sensei," Naruto said.

"Good," he said. "Sakura, if Naruto has any questions, please also help in this matter. Im sure some things have changed since the last exam he took."

Sakura nodded.

"I'll see you both later," he said. "Pleasure."

Without another word, Naruto and Sakura watched as their sensei disappeared, and the Rain team stood in bewilderment.

"Is your sensei always that weird?" Rika asked aloud.

"You dont know the half of it," Naruto stated.

Kie smiled to herself as she closely listened to the conversation between the young boy and her teammates. She then followed them as they walked toward the village, as her thoughts keeping her busy as followed their voices.

_'Hatake,'_ she thought to herself.

How that name meant so much to her.

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TBC

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	2. Chapter 2

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**Legacy**  
kakashilvr(at)yahoo(dot)com

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**Chapter 2**

Kakashi looked over the neatly written piece of paper he held in his hand as Tsunade rested her chin on her hands as she leaned on her desk.

"I just need you to get her acquainted here," Tsunade stated seeing that she wasn't going to get a reply from him.

"What is her purpose here in Konoha?" was all he asked.

Tsunade breathed in deeply as she blinked her eyes. "She is a medic-nin from Rain, and I am working with their Amekage to strengthen ties between Konoha and Rain. They've devloped some new techniques to cure ailments and injuries that I would like to explore."

"Hashiba?"

Tsunade slowly nodded. "She is the adopted daughter of the Amekage."

"Adopted?"

"The Amekage's wife could bare no children, so they adopted a baby girl," Tsunade stated. "She was left for dead when she was just a baby, because of her apparent handicap, they felt that they would be able to give the love that she needed to grow up."

"But why send their daughter? Why not their other more experienced Medic-nins?"

"I requested for her," Tsunade stated. "And its for a reason that I can't say at this moment. Kakashi, you're the only one I can trust to do this, because I don't want anyone to treat her any differently than the other shinobi in this village. She is our guest, but she will be working with the shinobi here."

Kakashi could only nod, knowing that she was keeping information secret from him and apparently everyone else in the village.

"She's been given an apartment in the Jounin Complex, and I've had Kawamura-san get her settled in," Tsunade said. "Please make her feel welcomed here. She will be working at the Hospital for most of her stay, but I will have her join your team on any small C Class missions so she knows how things work here. I want her to work closely with Sakura, since Kie has been known to have great chakra control. They could learn from each other."

Kakashi nodded as he folded the paper he held and slipped it into his pocket.

"Hokage-san, if there is anything that you are keeping from me, that will jeopardize my team or any mission, concerning Hashiba-san, I will hold you responsible for the outcome," he said, seriousness hinting at his voice.

Tsunade slowly nodded. "I'll take full responsibility," she said.

With a nod, Kakashi bowed slightly and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Do you think she even knows?" she heard Shizune state from her side.

Tsunade shrugged, as she pulled the old report out from under the book that had covered it. She looked it over again, as her eyes traveled down the neatly written paper, her gaze lingering on the name of the person who wrote it.

Sakumo Hatake.

She then shook her head. "I dont know," she said. "And I dont want to bring any more attention to her until we can confirm that what was written here, is true."

"How do we propose on doing that?"

"Having her work at the hospital, I can keep a close watch," Tsunade said as she pushed herself away from her desk and then slowly stood. "If this is the only report that Sakumo Hatake wrote, then we are safe to assume that no one else knows, and that's good on our part."

"But what if.."

"Then we will have to do everything in our power to prevent her from leaving Konoha."

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Kie slowly pushed on the wooden door, as it opened, its hinges creaking lightly. She smiled as she used her staff to determine the width of the door before stepping inside.

"I took the liberty of dressing the apartment for you."

Kie slowly nodded as the little old woman brought came in after her, setting down the two brown packs beside the open door.

"Tsunade-san said that you'd be traveling light, and Im sure that carrying curtains and linens would have been probably not on your list," she said with a smile.

The woman then approached Kie, taking her by her elbow and leading her to a chair next to the small kitchen. Turning her to the table before her, the woman placed a piece of paper in front of her and brought her hands to it.

"This is a map of the village," she said with a smile. "I've purposely labled the important areas; bath house, market, the four restaurants near here, and of course the Ninja Academy, Arena, Hospital, and where the Hokage stays."

Kie nodded to herself as she let her gloved fingers roam over the paper before her. She was amazed at how detailed the small map was, where certain areas were raised so she could feel the details as well.

"My nephew was blind, so when he came to visit, we made sure that we were able to let him get around easily," the woman stated. "Your bedroom is down the hall 10 feet and to your right. Right across is your personal bath, but I have to warn you that if you dont take an early enough bath, the hot water will be used up, and you will have to go to the Bath House. You're in the connected kitchen, and your living room is just 4 feet in front of you.

"Kitchen, there is a stove 3 feet to your right, the refrigerator just behind you," she added. "Cupbbards with glasses are just above the sink, to the left of the refrigerator, and dishes are just above the stove. Utensils are in these drawers just below the small sink here."

Kie nodded, glad that the woman was taking as much care into pointing out the small things needed to be used in this small apartment. Apparently, she must have loved her nephew dearly to take this much effort to make her feel at home here.

"I'll bring up some towels so that you will have a fresh set to use tonite," the woman added. "I was only able to fill the pantry with a few food items, to last you a week, so I suggest that you hit the market when you have time."

"Kawamura-san, you've done so much already," Kie stated. "I thank you for helping me getting settled in."

"Its my pleasure, miss," the woman said, happiness hinting at her voice. "If there is anything you need, please dont feel afraid to contact me. You're new to Konoha, so there will be a period of adjustment. Just helping you get the minor things out of the way, so you can worry about the major ones."

"You've done more than most would have under the same predicament," Kie stated. "Most times, I've been left to fend for myself."

"Im sure your missions as a jounin were rough, but seeing as you are here, you must have faired well," the woman stated. "Also, Tsunade-san, wanted to let you know that the Genin Team from Cloud will meet you at the training ground after 2 pm today. I've labeled the map so that you will know how to get there."

"I thank you again."

"Well, I'll leave you to get settled, its nearly 11 am and I have 4 mouths to feed for lunch," the woman said as she rounded the kitchen table and headed toward the door. "I suggest that you take a little nap before your meeting later today. I'll bring up some food for you before you leave."

"Thank you," Kie said.

The woman smiled in her direction before turning to leave the small apartment, grabbing the door by its handle and about to close it, when she ran into the tall silver haired Jounin, who lived only a level down from this floor.

"Ah, Hatake-san!" the woman exclaimed. "Im so sorry about the hot water this morning!"

Kie slowly stood, reaching for her staff as she slowly approached the open door.

"It's quite alright, Mari," she heard him reply. "I woke early enough to hit the bath house before it became crowded."

"Just so you know the pipes have been fixed, so you shouldn't have that problem tomorrow morning," the woman stated. "Let me know if you need anything else; I'll have some lunch prepared for you. You know where to grab it if you have the time."

"Ah, thank you, Mari," he said.

Kie came to stand in the frame of her door, as she heard the woman trudge off slowly. "She seems to care about those she looks after," she commented.

"Mari has a big heart," she heard him reply. "I guess you would need one if you have had 10 children."

"Ten?" Kie asked, a little astonished. "My, no wonder she can make someone feel at home."

"I guess its also a good thing that I was able to catch you here," Kakashi stated as he placed his hands in his pockets. "Tsunade-san asked me to play tour guide with you, until you get yourself acquainted with our village."

Kie smiled as she slowly nodded. "So, you are the jounin assigned to me?" she asked a little amused. "I am honored."

"Consider it a favor," he said. He was silent for a moment. "Hashiba-san.."

"Please, call me Kie," she said.

"The Hokage didn't fill me in totally on why you are here in Konoha," he said. "Is there something that I should know about you?

Kie could only shake her head a bit as she shrugged. "All I know is that my father, received a message from your Hokage that I come with our Genin Teams to the Chuunin Examinations being held here," she said. "I was filled in on the rest when I arrived, which was the agreed service that I would do here for the next year."

"Year?"

She nodded. "That's all I know," she said.

Kakashi slowly nodded to himself. "You meet with the Cloud team later today?"

She nodded.

"I will join you at that time," he said. "As Mari stated, you should get some rest."

Kie smiled but nodded. "I am considering that," she said.

"I'll be by again just before 2," he said.

With that she felt his presence before her, disappear. With a deep breath, she stepped back into her apartment, closing the door behind her. She breathed in deeply as she felt her way back to the kitchen and rested her staff up against the table.

Removing her gloves, she placed them neatly down on the kitchen table and made her way down the hallway, and found the small room that served as the apartment's bedroom. Removing the hitai-ate that covered her left side of her face, she dropped it to the floor as she made her way to the bed that was situated to the side. The hard wood floor under her sandled feet, creaked as she felt along the walls, then came upon the small bed. She sighed to herself as she slowly lay on the covers, breathing in deeply as she closed her eyes.

Her left hand instinctively went to her normally covered eye, as her fingers slowly traced along the scar that was there. It was thick under her sensitive fingers, as it crossed diagonally over her eye, starting from just over her nose, and ending at the side of her face, near her ear. Over the years, the scar tissue had faded, but the mark was still there. The reason why she wore the hitai-ate over, so that no one would look at the ugly scar. She humored herself knowing that for a blind woman, something that trivial shouldn't bother her. However, as a child growing up, she would never forget the humiliating comments that were tossed at her because of it.

She turned over onto her back, finally feeling the effects of the long travel from Rain take over her. Closing her eyes, she drifted into a light sleep.

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Kakashi had arrived as stated, unusual for him, but he knew that this was an important matter. Kie was already ready by the time he reached her door, waiting just outside of her door, her staff in hand as she leaned against the wall across from her door.

Before nearing her, he realized that he could not sense her at all. Even at least some Chakra, like he couldn't sense her that morning on the bridge. Somehow, she was controlling her chakra so that she could not be sensed by others, but why? He was hardly ever startled by anyone, and it somewhat unnerved him that she was able to appear beside in on the bridge, and he had not known she was there.

"Hatake-san?" her voice seemed to echo down the hall he walked down.

"I see that you are ready," he said as he approached her. Even standing this close to her, he could not sense her.

She nodded. "I want to be there early," she said.

The slowly walked down the hallway and made their way out of the small apartment complex into the afternoon sun.

"How good is your sense of direction?" Kakashi asked.

"Pretty good," she said with a smile, turning in the direction of his voice. "But, as with many new places..."

She held her staff in front of her, and slowly pulled it apart, seperating it into two pieces and then tied them together, as she placed it into a holder on her back. She then pulled out a small circular object from the pack she wore on her hip and placed it to her lips. She then blew into it, where it emitted a high pitch whistle. Blowing on it two more times, they were then greeted with the screech of a falcon flying overhead, as it swooped down, as Kie held her arm out. The falcon landed gracefully, on her outstretched arm, before climbing up the rest of her arm to rest on her shoulder.

"This is Taka," she said as she placed the small object back in her hip pouch and pulled out what looked to be a piece of meat. "He serves as my eyes when we travel to unknown areas." She quickly fed him the piece of meat.

"Strange to use a falcon," Kakashi noted.

"Yes, it would seem so," she said with a smile. "I found Taka when he was thrown out of his mother's nest. I nursed him back to health, and he's been with me ever since. My father helped me to train him to serve as my eyes. He's truly a remarkable animal."

Kakashi slowly nodded, more to himself as she turned toward him. He had wondered how she was able to achieve any rank without some sort of external help. He was mildly impressed, however, relying totally on an animal for your senses, was also a weakness.

"The training ground is 1/2 mile due North," he said. "You are familiar with the direction you must take?"

Kie nodded, sensing the challenge was implied in his statement. "Rooftops or roads?" she asked.

"Your choice."

She smiled and with a slight bow, she then leapt toward the nearest rooftop as she sent her falcon toward the air. Landing softly on the nearby building, she sensed Kakashi land near her, then with a signal from her falcon, she followed his cries across the rooftops of Konoha as they headed toward the Konoha training grounds.

Kakashi was impressed so far; the bond between her and her bird was strong, he could tell. However, he knew that to strengthen her sense, and if Tsunade was adamant on him overseeing her acclimation to Konoha, he would have to train her to not rely on the bird for her sight.

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Kakashi stood silently with the Jounin from Cloud as they watched as Kie worked with the young genin boy from the jounin's team.

"Do you think he will have a chance?" Taro, the jounin asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "He can fail with those who are sighted," Kakashi stated simply. "Even the strongest of men can fail sometimes."

"How was she able to pass the Chuunin examinations?"

"Good teamwork," Kakashi answered. "She didn't even ask for a special consideration during the written test."

"You mean she still participated in that?"

Kakashi nodded. "Answered only one question," Kakashi said as he remembered what Tsunade had told him. "And of course, didn't falter on Ibiki's question."

Taro nodded as they watched her kneel down and then turn the boy in her arms, so that his back was facing her. She placed her hands on his arms, and smiled. Then it seemed as if doing this, she was able to read his movements as he went through a series of attacks, aimed at an invisible attacker. She then pulled him back into a stance, and slowly proceeded to position him correctly, making him understand that his stance was a little off, which was the reason why he was not aiming his kunai's correctly.

This went on for a couple of hours, and before long the boy was smiling when he was able to throw ten kunais at a target, 9 of which hit the bulls eye. Kie was congratulating him on his success, and that she promised that the following day they would work on his hand to hand genjutsu techniques.

Kakashi watched as she lead the boy over to where they were standing, and Taro congratulated him on his performance. With a round of thanks a goodbyes, Kie grabbed for the staff on her back, putting it together before she turned to Kakashi.

"He has a lot of talent, but he was just unsure of himself," she said with a smile. "His biggest fear is his genjutsu, so we will have to spend time on getting him confident on what he already knows."

"If anything, Kie, you could do well as a teacher," Kakashi remarked. "You have a sense of patience that is one to be admired."

"That's what my father said," she said with a smile. "If you dont mind, Hatake-san, I wish to head back toward the village on my own."

"Then I will meet you here tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Same time."

"Good day."

She breathed in deeply when she felt his presence disappear. Calling for her falcon, as it came to rest on her shoulder, she started her way back to the village, slowly walking along the paved path that lead to the training grounds.

She knew why Tsunade had summoned for her, since her father didn't keep anything a secret from her when she was growing up. About why it was Sakumo Hatake who had rescued her, when she was just a baby, and brought her to the sanctuary of the Village of Rain. Why it was the great White Fang, who urged her father to keep her safe. Why she chose to become a shinobi, even though the odds were against her being a successful one. She found a way to do, so she could come to Konoha, to thank the man who have given her a new life. She wasn't the stronges shinobi from her village, but it allowed her to achieve things that were out of reach for many.

When she heard of Sakumo's death, it only gave her the strength she needed to chase a dream what was often difficult to those of her handicap. But she found ways to change her detractor's opinion of her. And to finally meet his son...

There was so much that she wanted to say, but knew that unless Tsunade made known her reasons for summoning her, she was not about to reveal those reasons as well.

Adjusting the hitai-ate she wore, she silently made her way toward the village, taking the path that would lead her to the Konoha hospital.

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**Author's Note:**  
Sorry for the OC-centric in this chapter. I wanted to set-up the basis of the character so that you start to understand what is happening. Everything will fall into place, and of course, Kakashi will get his deserved time in the limelight.

**Ryu-Hitori-Lenore-Evans** : Thanks for the review. Glad you are liking it, just from the first chapter. Hopefully, everything falls into place as its being written. I actually wrote out 5 versions of this story so far, so Im hoping that I pick out the best elements from each to write this one.

**chairomori**: The contents of the report will be revealed slowly through each chapter. As you can see in this one, you now know the author of the report. Kakashi's curiosity with her will help reveal what was written as the story goes on.

**allyluv** : yes, Im also a Kakashi fanatic. Mainly because he's played by my all time favorite japanese voice actor, but he's just plain cool, and what can I say, I like mysterious guys.

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	3. Chapter 3

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**Legacy**  
kakashi(underscore)lvr(at)yahoo(dot)com  
Fanfiction(dot)net doesn't allow underlines/underscores for some awful reason.

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**Chapter 3**

Sakura smiled as she saw Kie enter the hospital, and immediately walked up to the jounin from Rain.

"Hashiba-san, coming to visit our hospital?" Sakura asked with a smile as she stood near the young woman.

Kie nodded. "I wanted to see if I could get a tour," she said. "So, do you work here, Sakura?"

"Yes," Sakura stated as she stepped toward the jounin. Placing her hand on Kie's arm, with a light nudge, she helped her through the main foyer of the hospital and walked down one of the hallways. "Tsuande-sama is training me to become a medic-nin and thought that if I put some time here at the hospital, I can hone my skills."

"I see," she said. "Then you must have shown some great control over your Chakra to have the Hokage reccomend that you work here."

"Kakashi-sensei, has always stated that I have the best control of the team," she said. "I can give you the tour if you would like."

Kie nodded. "Yes, I would," she said. "Though I am also here to see if I can get some salve or ointment."

"Ointment?"

"I forgot to pack some before I left Rain," she offered. "I need it to take care of the scar that I have."

Sakura smiled. "Well, why dont we take care of that right now?"

The young pink haired girl slowly escorted the woman down a long hallway, and then turned into a quiet room. She then led Kie over to an examination table, and then walked over to one of the many cupbards that lined a nearby wall.

"For scarring, this should do it," Sakura said as she pulled down a small jar, and walked over to where Kie was standing. "But, what scar is this for?"

Kie smiled. "Its not something that I show anyone, but..."

She placed the staff she was using against the table, and slowly lifted the hitai-ate she wore, revealing her scarred right eye. Sakura gasped a little seeing the angry looking mark that marred what was, to her, a seemingly flawless face.

"Dont worry, Sakura, I was only a baby when I received it," Kie smiled. "I dont even think I remember if it hurt or not."

Sakura nodded as she pulled a chair before and had Kie sit in it. "Who would do such a thing to a baby?" Sakura asked as she slowly opened the small jar.

Kie shrugged. "Those who have no concept of the value of life," she said.

"That is why you keep it covered?"

"Not the entire reason," she said. "But part of it."

Sakura nodded as she used some of the salve and lightly rubbed it into the scarred flesh before her, careful not to let it fall into the woman's eyes.

"If this ointment works, I can have some more made and see that a supply is given to you," Sakura stated as she moved away and closed the jar. "The scar wont totally go away, but Im sure that you know that."

"Its not so much for it to go away," Kie said as she slowly stood. "Just to make sure it doesn't cause me aggravation. From time to time, it does cause me some pain."

"I can have Tsunade-san..."

"It's alright," Kie said. "I've lived with it for 25 years."

Sakura nodded. "Then, let me show you around," she said. "When will you start working here?"

"As soon as the Chuunin Exams start, I'll be here to acquaint myself with the going ons here."

"I hope we can work together, Hashiba-san," Sakura said as she put away the ointment and walked back over to her, and took Kie by her arm. "And I hope that you will enjoy your time here."

"If everyone is as helpful as you are, Sakura-chan, I know I will."

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Sakura laughed to herself as she and Kie walked into the room they had started in, so that Sakura could collect her personal effects, having finished her duties for the day. She had spent the rest of the afternoon with Kie, showing her around the hospital, giving directions to where things and rooms were, and who was in charge of each section.

They were sharing stories of their times as gennins on their missions, and Sakura even related how as a 'personal' mission for her team, was to trick their recluse of a teacher into seeing what he looked like under the damned mask he wore. The whole event ended in Team 7 being utterly defeated by a second mask he wore under the first.

"So the only people in all of Konoha who has seen the face of the famous Kakashi Hatake, are the two who run Ichiraku Ramen," Sakura stated.

"Actually, there are few more than that."

Sakura looked up to the doorway and Kie noted the slight groan she emitted as she came to stand near her.

"Genma..." Sakura groaned. "You know that you shouldn't be walking around so soon after your surgery."

"It was a minor surgery, Sakura-chan," he said as he slowly entered the room, eyeing the young woman who was standing next to the young jounin. "And who do we have here?"

Sakura rolled her eyes but obliged him. "Genma, this is Kie Hashiba of the Village of Rain," Sakura started. "Kie, this is Genma Shiranui."

Kie slowly turned in the direction of the door, and smiled as he approached them.

"A pleasure to meet you, Genma," Kie stated.

"No, no," Genma stated. "The pleasure is all mines."

Kie heard Sakura mumble "oh brother", under her breath but only smiled to herself. "Shiranui was it?" she asked. "You oversee the third part of the Chuunin Exams, dont you?"

"Yes, but due to a recent injury, I've been taken off the roster," Genma said, the senbon he was famous for having, bobbed as he spoke. "But I have to say, I dont regret it one bit." Clearing his throat he added. "So you are the jounin that the Hokage asked for from Rain?"

Kie nodded. "I will be offering my service to Konoha for a while," she said.

"Interesting," he stated.

Kie smiled as she slowly removed the gloves she wore, stepping toward him. "May I?"

Genma's gaze met Sakura's and she only nodded. He stood still for a moment before answering her. She smiled to herself as she let her hands, rest lightly at the base of his neck. Sakura watched, as she had seen with Naruto, as Kie let her fingers feel his face, and her expression change as she became familiar with Genma's features. And as she did with Naruto, she breathed in deeply before letting her hands fall, and with a laugh, she placed her gloves back on.

"Be careful, Shiranui-san," she offered. "The longer you use a senbon, you will damage your gums and teeth in the long run. Other than that, you appear to be in good health, but I can tell that you spend quite some time enjoying a drink or two."

Sakura smiled seeing the expression the older man wore. She then tugged on Kie's tunic, signaling that she was wanted to tell the young woman something. Kie leaned down as the young kunouichi whispered into her ear. Kie smiled as she stood straight again, then clearing her throat, she grabbed for her staff.

"Thank you Sakura, for showing me around today," Kie stated. Turning to Genma, she slowly stepped up to him, feeling for his arm and hooking her own around his. "So, where do you often go to get a drink around here?"

Sakura rolled her eyes again, seeing the sudden spark in his eyes. "There's a place near the Jounin Complex," he offered. "The regulars are there frequently since its so close to the apartments."

"Since I've had a long day, and long journey, Im looking forward to a drink," she said. "Would you mind joining me?"

"I'd be delighted," Genma stated. Turning to the young pink haired girl, he offered his smile. "If you see Takai-sensei, let him know he knows where he can find me."

Sakura slowly nodded. "Genma, if you do anything that I wouldn't do, I'll be sure to see that you remain in this hospital for the duration of your healing period."

Kie stifled a laugh. "Dont worry, Sakura-chan," she offered. "I'll keep him in line."

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Kakashi breathed in deeply as he entered the small tavern that served as the socializing center for all the Shinobi within Konoha. Today, however, the tavern was busier than usual, since the jounins from the other villages, visiting with their teams were here as well. He placed his hands in his pocket after waving to the tavern owner, heading toward the small booth that was normally used by him and his close jounin friends. He knew that Asuma, Gai and Genma would be along shortly.

As he seated himself, a barmaid came along, placing a full bottle of sake on the table and laid out four cups. "As usual," she said with a smile.

With a nod, he poured himself a cup of the sake, pulling down his mask quickly to take a drink before hiding his face behind it again. The booth afforded him some of the privacy from the rest of the tavern, which was one of the reasons why they made it as their common meeting place.

He stared out of the nearby window, as he poured himself another cup of the sake and just let it rest in front of him. The streets were somewhat bare, just some passserby's as they made their way home. He then turned his head to stare at the cup before him, before looking up again. He studied the people who were in the small tavern, making note of how many different villages were represented by the jounins who were there.

A group of jounins at a far table toward the other side of the tavern had caught his attention however, he had noticed them prior to entering the establishment. There was something about them that bothered him a bit, but he couldn't place a his finger on it. There were only three of them, sporting the head protectors from Grass. They were drinking and talking amongst themselves, and eyeing up a couple of young girls who sat at a table near them.

He quickly pulled his mask down again to down the sake, and just as he pulled it back up, Asuma appeared at the table beside him.

"Seems that its quite busy today," Asuma noted as he took a seat across from the copy ninja and poured hismelf a cup of the sake, and then lighting the cigratte he was holding between his lips. "I've never seen this place so busy."

Kakashi nodded as he leaned back in the booth seat he was in. "Over 90 teams participating this year," Kakashi said. "A good number considering how much we've had to rebuild in the last few years."

Asuma nodded as he took a drag from his cigarette. "Gai and his team are on an emergency mission, so he wont be joining us tonite," he said. "He will be back in a couple of days." He then turned in his seat to look through the rest of the tavern. "Very busy indeed."

"Once the examinations starts and the few teams that are eliminated leave, it wont be as busy," Kakashi stated as he proceeded to pour himself another cup of the sake. "Where's Genma?"

"He was a the hospital the last time I saw him today, don't know if the doctors will let him out this soon," Asuma said as he took his last smoke from the cigarrted he held and then leaned back against the seat he was in. "So, I've heard that you are doing some kind of mentor training with a new jounin."

Kakashi nodded. "A woman from Rain," he stated. "The Hokage thinks that she may be helpful as a medic-nin for Konoha."

"A transfer?"

Kakashi nodded as he pulled his mask down and drank the sake. "Her training starts as soon as the examinations start," he said pulling his mask up again.

Asuma slowly nodded as he pulled out another cigarrette and lit it. "So is it true?" he asked. "That she is completely blind."

"Yup," Kakashi answered. "If she isn't, she's pulling off one of the most convincing acts I've seen in a long time." Kakashi then fell silent for a moment, which Asuma noted.

"You look like you dont seem convinced," he said.

Kakashi turned to the window before answering. "Remember the first exercises we did, when we first started training as genin, about Chakra control?"

Asuma nodded. "The basic skill that we all had to learn."

"I can't sense her," Kakashi stated simply.

"What do you mean?"

Kakashi met his gaze. "I mean exactly that," he said. "You usually can sense someone's presence by the use of their chakra. And able to 'hide' your presence by controlling how much Chakra you give off, however, you can only do that for a short period of time. With her..."

"You mean, she's constantly hiding her presence from others?"

Kakashi shrugged.

"That would mean she would be totally drained if its constantly controlled," Asuma stated.

"And she acts as if its nothing," Kakashi said. "Genma is coming."

Asuma turned in his seat to see the senbon twirling jounin enter the small tavern, waving his hand toward the barmaid.

"Well, we know that your senses aren't totally..."

Before Asuma could finish, he watched as a dark haired woman enter after him, and he took her by the arm to help her through the crowded tavern.

"That's her?"

Kakashi didn't have to answer. Genma smiled in their direction and slowly escorted the young woman through the crowd and made his way over to their booth.

"Busy tonite," he said with a smile as he looked at his two friends. "Kie, I want you to meet Asuma Sarutobi and Kakashi Hatake. This is Kie Hashiba."

Kie smiled. "I've had the pleasure of meeting Hatake-san," Kie said. "Though, Sarutobi-san, its a pleasure to meet you."

Genma helped her into the seat near Kakashi, as he took a seat next to Asuma, then poured himself a cup of sake, and then filled the remaining cup. He placed the cup in front of her. "Sake is right in front of you, about 7 inches from the edge of the table."

"Thank you," Kie said as she reached for the cup and took it into her gloved hands. "So is it true that the Sake here is one to be envious of?"

"It does the job," Genma offered with a smile. "Try it."

Kie smiled as she placed the cup to her lips and took a sip from the liquid. Breathing in deeply, she then downed the rest and placed the cup down before her. "Nice," she said.

Genma smiled to himself as he poured her another cup.

"Hashiba-san," Asuma started.

"No, please call me Kie," she said. "Seeing as I'll be working in Konoha for a while, formalities are not needed."

"Im sure you've been asked as to why you are here," Asuma stated. "And we've heard some stories, but it helps to get it straight from the horse's mouth."

Kie nodded. "Yes, Im sure it is strange to have a shinobi from another village be asked to defect to another, isn't it?"

"About as strange as anything we've seen here," Asuma said.

"Im not entirely sure what the reason behind your Hokage's request for choosing me, to come to Konoha," Kie started. "Since Im not the strongest shinobi from Rain, nor am I the best medic-nin. Because of my handicap, I was always near the bottom of the class, but worked hard to do what I needed."

"So you think that there is another reason as to why you were asked to come here?" Genma asked.

"Why summon a girl who did almost next to worst?" Kie asked. She then shook her head. "I think it has to do with the reason why I was adopted by the Amekage when I was a baby."

Kakashi turned to her. 'So she knew that she was adopted.' he thought to himself. "What were the circumstances?"

Kie turned her head to him, but nodded. "From what I've been told, I was rescued by a traveling shinboi, on his return from a mission," she started. She then slowly reached up to the hitai-ate she wore and slowly untied it. "The shinobi happened upon a caravan that had been attacked by a band of mercenary ninja, hired for whatever reason, they killed everyone except for me. For some reason, the ninja spared me, to do something very horrible."

As she let the hitai-ate fall from her face, she slowly brushed her loose hair away from the disfigurement that marred her complexion. The scar, dark against her skin, looked angry, as she opened the eye that hid under it. She heard Genma breathe in deeply, but knew that it would be disturbing to some if they had seen it.

"The ninja who held me, tried to do what he could to remove my eye," she said. "The shinobi who rescued me, was able to fend off the ninja, and save me before anything more serious could be done.

"But the damage to just a baby was enough to threaten my life, so the shinobi had to seek out a nearby village to hopefully save my life," she continued. "Rain was the closest village, so he took me there, and that's when the Amekage promised that he would look after me. When he could not find any information as to who lead the caravan, or where I had come from, or even the mercenary ninja that attacked, he adopted me, to raise as his own.

"I've lived with the knowledge that whomever attacked us, had their reasons, and I may never fully know them," she said. "Though, I could never thank the shinobi who did rescue me, since he did not return to Rain since that incident. My life was spared, I was saved, so to honor those who sacrificed to save me, I vowed that I would become a shinobi, to overcome the handicap that was given to me. I dont consider it a curse, but a gift."

"Tragic," Asuma stated as he lit another cigarette. "The shinobi that did rescue you, do you know who it was?"

Kie tilted her head a moment, but then shook her head. "All I know was that he was from Konoha," she said as she tied the hitai-ate back on. "My father never told me who he was, and when I asked, he would never tell me."

"Konoha?" Asuma asked. "A shinobi who found a lost baby would have been big news here. But we've never heard anything about it."

Kie slowly nodded, but smiled to herself. "Well, I dont dwell on it as much as I used to," she said. "I was given a second chance, and if I can never thank the man who did save me, then fate has decided that we never cross paths again."

"Learning that world can be cruel so young," Genma said. "And the best way to drown it out is to keep on drinking."

Kie laughed to herself as she heard Asuma let out a groan. She then took a sip from the cup in front of her. Leaning back, she listened to them carefully, seeing that they all shared a friendship that was to be admired.

Kakashi, was quiet for most of the evening, as he listened as Genma related the events of his last mission, where he ended up wounded enough to bring the wrath of the Konoha hospital director to threaten temporary suspension should he take another B-Class mission.

He watched as Kie listened intently, nodding her head as she took in what Genma and Asuma were telling. Still, he could not sense her, even sitting this close to her. He felt that he needed to touch her, just to convince himself that she was there. How Genma and Asuma hadn't noticed, he would discuss with them later. He however, still felt that there was something not being totally said by her, or the Hokage, and she didn't entirely tell the truth about why she was here. Though the answer she did give, was reason enough for everyone else to know.

His gaze darted from Genma and Asuma, then over the to the table where he had first seen the Grass Jounins. They were still there, drinking, but every once in a while he would see either one or two them, look in their direction. However, a loud outburst from a nearby table, caused one of the barmaids to block his vision of their table for a moment, but it was in that moment, the three had disappeared.

For now, he would let it go. He would make it the first thing tomorrow to find out who they exactly were and what teams they were with. He felt uncomfortable about not knowing why their attention had turned to their table.

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TBC

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**Author's Note:**  
So a little more is revealed. Put the elements together, and now something new to add to the mystery? Sorry a little short (is it?)  
Comments welcomed and thanks to all those who are reviewing and keeping this story on alert.

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	4. Chapter 4

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**Legacy**  
kakashi(underscore)lvr(at)yahoo(dot)com  
doesn't allow underlines/underscores for some awful reason.

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**Chapter 4**

Kie breathed in deeply as she was escorted out of the small tavern. She turned her head slightly, toward the sound of the inn keeper thanking them for their patronage. She smiled to herself, feeling the effects of sharing 10 bottles of sake between the four of them.

"I haven't stayed out this late in a long time," Genma noted cheerily. "Kie, did you need help getting back to your apartment?"

"I'll take her back," Kakashi stated as he turned to him. "You should be getting back to the hospital before Takai-sensei comes hunting for you."

Genma rolled his eyes but turned to head down the path that would lead him back to the hospital. "That guy is too caught up in his work," he said. "But I must endure otherwise, he'll get the notion to take me off active duty for an indeterminate amount of time."

"Goodnight, Genma," Kie offered with a smile toward him.

Kakashi watched as Genma and Asuma head down the paved path. He breathed in deeply before stepping close to Kie, lightly touching her elbow, then taking her by the arm.

"If you ever come here at night, this is the fastest way back to the aparment, even if you are drunk," he offered.

Kie smiled as he lead the way, mostly in silence. She navigated the roads easily enough and then climbed the stairs that would take her to her apartment. Standing before her door, she slowly pulled out the key that would open it, and inserted it into the lock. She then turned to him, and smiled.

"I had a great time tonite," she said. "I've never felt so welcomed in a different place, like this before. Most just tend to shy away from me because they think that I'd be offended if they offered help."

"The unknown is what makes them cautious," Kakashi offered. "You are stranger, and a shinobi at that."

She nodded. "Can't be helped?"

"Once they get to know you, they will treat you as you should be treated," Kakashi said. "Kie, there's been something I've been meaning..."

She raised her hand in front of her, taking a step toward him as she slowly removed the gloves she wore.

"May I?" she asked.

"You're not going to feel much."

"Just to satisfy my curiosity."

He watched as her hands slowly reached toward him. Her left hand touched the exposed his face, her fingers lightly rested on four points; her index at his temple, her middle just to the side of his eye, ring edging at the mask he wore and her little finger just to the side of his cloth covered mouth. She did the same with her right hand, though her first two fingers rested against the cold metal of the hitai-ate he wore.

He watched as a smile danced on her features, seemingly amused by what her touch was allowing her to discover. Her fingers lingered a moment at their points, but reacted when her fingers tried to push under the forehead protector that covered his left eye. Grabbing her hand, she breathed in deeply.

"Please?" she asked in a whisper. "I will not remove it."

Releasing her wrist, she slipped two fingers under the protector, closing his eye against them, marveling at how cool they felt against his skin. As he opened his exposed eye, he watched as her expression changed, then her lips parted as she breathed in through her mouth, almost surprised by what she was feeling.

Slowly slipping her fingers free, her left hand then dance along his face as she light brushed her fingers over his features, tracing teh line of his nose and then linger slightly over his cloth covered mouth.

She then leaned into him, breathing in as her hand then traveled over the line of his jaw.

"Very similar," she whispered, her breath dancing over his mask.

The feeling of her hands leaving his face suddenly made him aware of the chakra engery around him. Where her fingers had felt cool against his skin, now seemed hot. He then realized that he could suddenly sense her presence before him. The touch had been explorative, though at the same time, almost sensual, but she had used her Chakra to do so.

As she stepped back from him, a smile danced upon her face as she slowly put her gloves back on.

"Yes, very similar," she echoed what she had just said earlier.

Now, the chakra that he had felt was gone, and he could no longer feel her presence.

"Similar? he asked.

"You're very much your father's son," she stated. "I owe your father for saving my life all those years ago. He could not help those who were in the caravan, but his kindness to risk his life to save a baby, on the verge of death; that is something I know that I can never repay. If it's all the same, Hatake-san, he is an honored hero in my life. I have to apologize for not being forthcoming with all the details of my life, but I've learned that I have to be guarded with what I tell people."

As she turned away from him, he reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it as he placed his own gloved one against it.

"You control your chakra through your hands?" he asked.

Slowly nodding she felt him trace her fingers.

"It's the way I am able to see," she said. "Touching, feeling; the way I can envision what is before me. Through training, I was able to feel what was around me, without touching through the use of my own Chakra energy. Without the gloves, my senses would be on overload."

"Then you've seen more than most people, Kie," he said.

She nodded as she leaned against the door of her apartment, her hand going to her back to grab ahold of the doorknob.

"I've wanted to meet you for a long while now," she said quietly. "Your father visited one more time when I was four, to deliver news to my father, of which, I didn't get to hear. However, he did speak to me one last time, telling me of his son, you, and how he was proud of the fact that you were following in his footsteps. He wished for the same for me."

She then tilted her head down for a moment. "He wished the same for me," she repeated. "It could only mean that your father found out who I really was; who my family was that was killed in the attack. For whatever reason he had to protect me from whatever harm that was brought against me, he had the answers that I was looking for.

"Im not entirely sure why I was summoned here by your Hokage, but its more than likely due to what your father had done for me," she said. "Maybe soon, we will find out what that is."

Kakashi slowly nodded as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Get some rest," he offered. "I'll meet you at the training grounds tomorrow."

Kie nodded, knowing that this would be the end of their conversation tonite. She slowly opened the door behind her, stepping in, she closed the door, leaning her head against it, as she locked it.

She breathed in deeply, still sensing his presence on the opposite side as she let her hand slowly go to the front of her shirt, and reach in pulling out the small pendant she wore.

'Keep this safe, Kie,' she could remember hearing Sakumo's voice. 'You may not understand what it means, but remember; memorize this symbol, as it will be the key to finding out where you came from.'

She fingered the small pendant before taking it off and placing it on the kitchen table to her side.

"Sakumo, I already know," she said to herself. With that she headed toward her bedroom and disappeared into it.

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It had been three days since that night, and Kakashi found himself wondering more about the young woman. However, a small mission he took kept him away from Konoha, while the Chuunin Exams went into their 2nd task. He was not required to take Sakura on his latest mission, so this gave the young Chuunin the opportunity to spend some time with Kie, to acquaint her with Konoha's Hospital.

"I have another mission for you," Tsunade stated as he stood before her, on return from his latest mission. "This time, I want you to take Sakura and Kie along."

"What kind of mission?" he asked simply.

"Delivery of a special document to the Hidden Village of Grass," she said. "C-Class. Simple. You should be back in a couple of days. I want you to watch Kie to see how she fares."

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," she said. "I'll also be assigning Neji to join your team for this mission."

"Is there something I should know about?"

Tsunade quickly shook her head, crossing her arms as she stood. "I just want another opinion," she said.

"Or do you want him to study how she controls her chakra?"

Tsunade met his dark gaze and breathed in deeply. "So you know about her ability to hide her presence from others?"

"Did you honestly think that would not be noticed by me?"

Tsunade smiled a bit. "No, I should have realized that it wouldn't," she said. "Yes, I want Neji along to see if he can sense anything of her that would require her to keep her presence hidden. And I want to confirm my suspicions about her."

"Suspicions?"

"Ones, that I cannot disclose at this point in time," she said.

Kakashi looked at her before shoving his hands into his pockets. "If there is something that you are keeping from me; my team, and if something happens, I will hold you responsible."

Tsunade nodded. "I will fully accept any responsibility should anything happen, outside the scope of this mission," she said simply.

Breathing in deeply, he then turned heading toward the door of the small office they were in. "If this has anything to do with my father, Hokage-sama, it would be wise to let me know what is going on," he said turning to her one last time.

"You know as much as I do, Kakashi," she said. "That she was found by your father, and brought to Rain where she was raised."

With a nod, Kakashi then turned and left the office, closing the door behind him. Tsunade let out her breath as she seated herself at her desk.

"Im sorry Kakashi, you will have to get your answers from her."

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A quick visit to the hospital and Kakashi was surprised that both Sakura and Kie were not there. He then made his way through the town, quieter than normal since the 2nd part of the Chuunin Exam had started that day. That would mean a majority of all the visiting and resident genins were now in the Forest of Death, making their way toward the center to deliver their scrolls.

Inquiring around, he made his way toward the small training ground just at the edge of the village; the same place he had brought his small genin team to do the bells test. As he neared the small clearing, he could feel a strong presence of chakra energy.

Peering into the area, he watched as Sakura stood in the clearing, with Kie standing next to her. The older woman was standing still in a stance and Sakura tried to imitate her positioning. The woman then moved from Sakura's side and stood behind her, placing a hand at the small of young girl's back. He could see Kie smiling as she placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder and slowly pushed the hand on the girl's back, but Saklura then lost her balance.

Sakura landed on the cool grass with a loud yelp then the clearing filled with the two women's laughters. It was at this time he decided to make his presence known as he walked toward them, as they came to kneel on the grass, and Sakura began pulling grass blades from her hair.

"With a little more practice, you'll be able to control the way your Chakra flows through different areas," Kie said as she slowly got to her feet. "Its almost the same as your tree climbing exercises, but you will focus your energy instead on areas that are more vital."

"Is that the kind of skills they taught you at Rain?"

Sakura looked up to see her Kakashi coming toward them. "Kakashi-sensei!" she exclaimed as she quickly stood, dusting herself off in the process. "Im so sorry, we were supposed to meet with Tsunade-sama, weren't we?"

Kakashi smiled under his mask, raising his hand as he looked down at the young girl. "It's alright, Sakura-chan," he said. "You didn't have to be there today, but we did receive a mission that we must complete."

"A mission?" Sakura asked. "But Naruto is still taking the Chuunin exam."

Kakashi slowly nodded. "Neji will be joining us," he said then looked where Kie was standing. "And this time, Kie will be going on her first mission with us."

Sakura's eyes widened as she turned to the young woman who stood beside her. Reaching for her staff, Kie smiled and breathed in deeply as she leaned on it.

"Looks to me that the Hokage wants to see if I was worth coming here for?" she asked. "What kind of mission?"

"Delivery of an important document to Grass," he said.

"And she couldn't have one of the Grass Jounins do this for her?" Kie asked, a hint of mocking touched her voice. "After all, there are four Grass teams here for the Chuunin exams."

At the mention of the Grass teams, Kakashi found himself thinking back to the three Grass Jounins he had seen at the inn the couple of nights ago. He wasn't able to find out more about the three who were there, but the feeling that they were up to no good, was something he couldn't shake.

"Im sure the documents in question are needed to handled by us," Kakashi offered. "We leave a little after noon tomorrow. Pack lightly. We will only be gone a couple of days. In time to see Naruto and his team finish the 2nd part of the Chuunin exam."

Sakura slowly nodded then turned toward Kie. "I thank you for your time today, Hashiba-sensei," Sakura stated. "I have some things that I need to take care of before we leave on our mission tomorrow. If you will excuse me."

Kie slowly nodded as she offered her goodbye to Kakashi then walked off toward the village. She then reached into the pouch she wore, taking out her gloves and slowly put them on.

"Do you think its wise to teach her that technique?"

Kakashi's question caught her by surprise, but she only smiled to herself. "As a medic-nin, Im surprised its not a technique that is taught to them," she said as she tilted her head in his direction. "The Chakra Shield is useful to the medic-nins both in battle and in healing."

"But to someone who can't control their chakra energy well enough, you could put that person into danger," Kakashi mentioned. "Sakura has good control, but she is still far too inexperienced to be using jutsus of that nature."

Kie nodded. "That is why Im working with her," she said. "I can control her chakra usage while she learns it."

Kakashi could only stare at her. He had only seen the Chakra Shield used once, while he was serving as an ANBU, and the poor jounin who attempted it, nearly killed himself. Yet he was able to witness this woman use it as if she had been the one who created the technique.

"Please run any advanced jutsus by me before attempting to teach them to my students," Kakashi said simply.

Kie turned to him, noting the slight anger hinted in his voice.

"Its a techinique that the Hokage has asked me to teach her, Hatake-san," she said sternly. "If you are against it, then take it up with her."

Without another word, the young woman turned, using her staff as she made her way back to the village. Kakashi could only let out a sigh as he watched her leave.

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The next morning, Sakura had arrived at the main gate to Konoha, and resting there as she went through her pack one last time, making sure she had what she needed for the trip. Not long after, Kie appeared before her, followed by Neji.

"I just received the documents from the Hokage," the young Hyuuga stated. He packed away the scroll he had in his hand into the small pack he carried. "Where is your sensei?"

"Here."

The three turned just as Kakashi approached them, his pack on his back as he came to stand before them.

"This should be a straightforward mission," he stated. "Sakura, Neji, you both take the lead; Kie will follow behind and I will take the back."

"Taka will help me through the forest," Kie stated. "He will also alert us to anything unusual."

"Keep no more than 20 paces from each other," Kakashi added. "We will travel for 4 hours then stop to rest, then continue on until we reach the borders. There is a small creek that we can use to camp at and continue in the morning."

Sakura and Neji nodded. With one last instruction from Kakashi, Kie took out the small device she used to communicate with Taka and quickly blew into it. Two long whistles followed by a short one, the falcon flew above them and headed into the forest beyond the gate.

"Let's go."

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The travel was mostly done in silence. Taka, Kie's falcon, made no signal to say that there were any trouble ahead of them. And as Kakashi had stated, after four hours of traveling, the team took a small break in a clearing, refilling their water cannisters at a nearby stream. Kakashi was perched on a nearby branch, looking across the tree tops and forest canopy to guage the distance they will travel until the sun set in a couple of hours. He then watched his team gather together, as Kie handed Sakura a small pouch.

"What is this?" the young girl asked as Kie slipped on her backpack.

"Its a type of jerky," Kie stated as she placed her staff back into its holster on her back. "Try it."

Sakura eyed it a bit and took a sniff. She winced at the odor it eminated then looked toward Kie.

"Yes, its not the most pleasant of smells, but its delicious." the woman stated with a smile.

Sakura slowly nodded as she took a bite from the jerky. Kie could only smile to herself, imagining the expression the young girl was probably going through after that first bite.

"Hmm, Hashiba-sensei, what is in this?"

Kie kneeled down the girl and smiled. "It's a special herb and rabbit meat combination I developed for our wounded and sick while I served at Rain," she said. "Its to help keep the patient's strength up, and a couple of these strips can be a meal replacement."

Sakura slowly nodded as she placed the jerky in her mouth and chewed on it, while slipping on her own pack. Reaching for the dried piece of meat, she looked at it once more before eating the rest of it.

"Is this one of the items that the Hokage would like you to share with us?" Sakura asked.

Kie slowly nodded as she stood. "One of the many things Im required to share," Kie stated. "Im surprised that none of your medic-nins developed something similar."

Sakura slowly nodded. "We have supplements that we give out to the different teams, but nothing on the sort of this level," she said. "Rabbit meat?"

Kie nodded. "They are abundant in Rain, and Im sure in these parts as well."

"It is delicious, Hashiba-sensei," Sakura stated. "But the smell.."

Kie smiled. "Yes, I know," she said. "Its the herbs that give it that smell."

Kakashi had dropped down to the forest floor, picking up his pack as Neji came to join him. "Four Grass Jounins are about 2 hours behind us," the young Hyuuga noted. "They aren't even bothering to disguise that they are following us."

Kakashi nodded. "I've set up some traps along the way, to throw their tracking off," Kakashi stated. "But, they will be quick to figure out that they are heading in the wrong direction soon after. We'll have to put as much distance between us tonite."

Neji nodded. "So, the Hokage was right to suspect that we may be followed."

"She told you as much?"

Neji nodded. "And that Kie is not at all that I would expect her to be," he added.

Kakashi turned to him. "What do you see?"

"In all honesty, sensei, absolutely nothing."

"What?"

Kakashi stared at the white-eyed chuunin beside him, seeing that he was using his special Byakugan to study the woman.

"Whatever technique she is using to hide her flow of Chakra, its even defeating my Byakugan," Neji stated. "Its as if she doesn't exist."

"Impossible," Kakashi noted to himself. He then looked at Neji. "What is it?"

"I remember my uncle stating that there was a technique, used a long time ago, that allowed a shinobi to hide their flow of chakra for long periods of time," he said as he returned his eyes to normal, facing the older jounin. "That only one with a special advanced bloodline would allow someone to control their chakra so well, that even our advanced bloodline couldn't detect them."

"Advanced Bloodline?"

Neji then shook his head as he closed his eyes. "However, its impossible, as you said," he commented. "Because even an advanced bloodline user would be susceptible to it weakening them."

"Of which we haven't seen in Kie," Kakashi stated.

"I haven't detected any fatigue within her," the young hyuuga responded as he dropped to one knee, watching as Kie helped Sakura with her pack. "This is no simple shinobi, sensei. I fear, that whoever she is, she is definitely an elite shinobi."

"Elite?" Kakashi asked as he crossed his arms. "But her Chuunin exam scores were, poor. She isn't a strong shinobi, and not even one of the best medic nins from her own village."

Neji looked up at him. "All the more reason to hide behind," he stated. "Being average to poor in her daily duties, the best way to disguise your real skills. Using it as a cover so that she doesn't attract attention."

Kakashi slowly nodded. It was all beginning to make sense. Tsunade must have known about her skills, but if Kie was from an advanced bloodline, who was she in reality? Was that the reason why she was left for dead as a baby? Were the hired ninja assassins after her bloodline?

"We should leave soon, the Grass Jounins are closing in," Neji stated as he stood.

Kakashi nodded. "We'll take the norther route to the borders," Kakashi stated. He then pulled out a scroll from his vest pocket and quickly summoned one of his dogs, Pakkun.

"We need you to provide us with a diversion, Pakkun," Kakashi stated as he kneeled down to the little dog. "We need to have the jounins following us, think we took another route to the Grass Village."

The little pug dog sniffed the air for a moment. "I sense four of them," the hound stated. "It will take a while, but I believe I can divert them for a half day's travel."

Kakashi nodded. "Give us at least a 6 hour lead," he said.

"Will do."

With that the small pug jumped into the branches of the nearest tree. Kakashi then signaled to Kie and Sakura that they were leaving, and without a moment's hesitation, the four left the small clearing.

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Night quickly fell on the four, but Kakashi wanted them to travel a little longer to put as much distance between them and the four jounins following behind them. With a signal from Neji, he knew that they had at least enough time and distance to warrant them to settle down for the evening.

Kakashi chose an area that was near a stream, and Sakura was quick to get a small fire started. Neji took a point to scan the area and when he reported back that they were safe, Kakashi went off to get some food.

The evening was spent mostly in silence, with small talk between the four. Sakura was first to fall asleep, and Kie moved to keep her comfortable. Neji volunteered to take first watch of the evening and Kakashi, kept to the outskirts of the small encampment.

It was some time later, that he found himself waking from a light slumber, to the sound of a persistent humming. It was a soft, barely audible, but it was enough to notice. The small fire had burned itself out, and Neji had taken this opportunity to get some sleep. He quickly looked around and saw that Kie was missing.

Quickly getting to his feet, he looked around to see where she had gone. The camp was not disturbed, so he knew that she must have went out on her own.

Suddenly, a nut flew toward him, and he quickly caught it in his gloved hand. Looking in the direction of where it came from, he saw that Kie's falcon, Taka, was perched in a nearby tree. The bird eyed him for a moment before crouching a bit and spread its wings to turn itself around. Throwing the nut to the ground, he quickly jumped into the tree near the bird and watched as it flew toward another tree.

"So where are you going?"

Looking back, he felt that Sakura and Neji were safe enough and quickly followed the small bird. He didn't fly far as Kakashi came to kneel on a tree not far from the small camp as the bird landed on the branch next to him. Then in a flutter, Taka flew into the forest canopy above and before Kakashi could react, someone had pushed him up against the tree and a dark green cloak came around him.

"Wha--"

Before he could say a word, a hand came to cover his cloth covered mouth.

"Thirty yards," the whisper came.

"Kie?" he whispered.

He felt her nod and she then opened the cloak a bit. "To your right, fifth tree, the branch highest on it."

Kakashi slowly let his gaze follow the direction she had mentioned. He breathed in deeply when he saw the glint of silver reflect from the moonlight above. He understood.

"They are not from Grass," Kie stated in a whisper as she pushed herself up against him, reaching for something on her back. "They wear the protectors of Grass, but they are not Grass jounins."

"How do you know?"

"I can smell them," she said as she slowly turned her back toward him. "Are Neji and Sakura asleep?"

Kakashi nodded. "What are you doing?"

"Its just two of them," she said. "I dont know if the other two followed the path your summoned dog took, but they somehow detected our path here as well."

"You knew about them?"

She nodded. "Since we left," she said. "We can't have them on our tales for the rest of this mission, so we'll have to take that chance that the other 2 are not nearby."

Kakashi could only breathe in deeply.

"They're after me, that much is certain," Kie stated. "I'll serve as bait, that will lure at least one of them, out. You go after the second one."

"Kie, why are they after you?"

She breathed in deeply as she slowly removed the gloves she wore. "For that, your father is the only who knew."

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TBC

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**Author's Note:**  
Sorry it took so long to update. A little bit of "real life" got in the way. And Halloween is coming up, and I had to design and make four costumes this year (me, and my three friends). Naruto group (Im going as Shikamaru, my roommate is Jiraiya and my other two friends are going as ZAbusa (pre and during bridge arc). Busy Busy Busy. Enjoy.


	5. Chapter 5

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**Legacy**  
kakashi(underscore)lvr(at)yahoo(dot)com  
doesn't allow underlines/underscores for some awful reason.

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**Chapter 5**

Kakashi didn't have time to question Kie, as she quickly slipped out from under the green cloak, disappearing into the shadows of the trees as if she was apart of the forest. He kept close to the tree he was leaning against, as he saw the reflection of light off the metal he saw earlier, as a form emerged from the cover of the branches.

Definitely a Ninja, but as Kie noted, not a Grass Jounin as what was shown on the head protector he was wearing. The man was covered in a tattered dark shirt, and baggy pants. Kakashi followedh is gaze and saw that he was eyeing Kie as she appeared on the forest floor below them.

Then a sudden sound near Kakashi caused his senses to become acutely aware of a presence near him. He held his breath for a moment as a rather slim form emerged from the shadows before him. The shadowed form kneeled on the branch he was on, as it too stared down to the forest floor. A quick hand signal from it made the other man move quickly down the tree he was on.

Kie slowly reached for the staff she carried on her back, holding her left hand in front of her as she "felt" around for any new presence. In a quick movement, she pulled her staff out of its holster, in time to dodge a rain of shuriken from a position just behind her. Deflecting three of them, she reached into her own kunai pouch to throw one toward the area the shuriken had come from.

"Behind you."

Kie gasped as the voice came from behind her, and an arm was quick to grab her by her neck. She however, was able to get her staff between him and her and she used its leverage to pull herself free, knocking the man aside as she jumped out of his way.

Breathing deeply, Kie slowly got to her feet, feeling his presence just across from her.

"We've been looking for you for a long time," the man stated as he reached for his sword. "To think that all this time you've been hidden in the Village of Rain."

"What use is a blind woman to you?" she asked as she sensed his movement.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the man stated.

With a grunt, the man lunged at her, his sword drawn, swinging out at her as she used her staff to block the strike. Kie dodged another swing, but was caught by surprise by a hard punch the man delivered, causing her to step backward as she held her stomach.

Kakashi held his position as the form before him slowly moved to pull out a set of senbon needles from beneath the robe it wore. Eyeing the fight happening below, he knew that the form would use any distraction by the man confronting Kie to its advantage. He would have to move now, if he wanted to save Kie from the unknown attack.

Just as the figure was ready to throw the needles, Kakashi emerged from under the cloak, kunai in hand as he rushed toward the dark figure. His presence caught the shadowed figure offguard as he was able to tackle it off the branch and they fell the 20 feet to the forest floor.

Their commotion caught the attention of the man fighting Kie, and using the distraction, Kie lunged at the man, swinging her staff, catching him across his chest. The man was sent flying into a nearby tree, as he then slumped forward, to his knees, the sword he carried went flying into the forest beyond. Slowly standing, he pulled out two kunai as he attempted to attack Kie again. She was quick to respond to his advancement, by bring her staff before her as he struck. The Kunai hit her staff repeatedly, as she used his momentum to keep him off balance, and as she moved to the side, she was able to dodge another of his attacks, but he grabbed her staff in the process.

With his strength, he was able to pull her staff free and break it, while swinging his left arm around to strike at her with his kunai. Kie let out a scream as the kunai came into contact with her head protector, cutting the fabric, before she dodged the attack. Using his own strength against him, Kie stepped around him, grabbing for the small knife he wore at his side, unsheathing it before coming around him again, as the man fell forward onto the weapon. A gasp eminated from his as she pushed the knife further into him.

"Why are you after me?" Kie asked as she held the knife steady in her hand, and reached out to grab his arm with the kunai.

The man only laughed at bit. "You know very well, Kie, why we are after you," he said. "After all, you were able to kill my brother."

Kakashi fought against the figure as the cloak it wore slowly fell away, and his exposed eye widened to see that he was fighting against a kunouichi. She reacted as she knocked him away, standing as she confronted him.

"Who are you and where are you from?"

The woman only smiled as she stared at him. "Of all the shinobi in this world, Hatake-san, you should be aware of the dangers of traveling with that woman," she said.

With that she attacked the silver-haired ninja, drawing three senbon in one hand and two kunai in the other. As she attacked, she threw the senbon toward him, and used it distract him as she lunged at him with her kunai. Kakashi was able to block the attack. With her now free hand, a sword slid from under the cloak sleeve she wore, and used that to swing at him. He dodged her attack in time, jumping over her, though she swung her sword above her, catching him on the side of the pants he wore. As he landed, he winced a little at the scratch on his leg.

"Getting sloppy, copy ninja," she stated as she turned toward him. "Or is it true that you are unwilling to hit a female ninja?"

She attacked him again, swinging her sword, which he blocked by grabbing her arm that held it, but she countered with a round house kick, though he was quick to grab her by her leg, and using her own momentum against her, was able to send her flying into a nearby tree. She let out a gasp as she came into contact with the tree as she leaned against it.

"I dont hit female ninja, however, I dont mind using their own moves against them," Kakashi stated as he turned to her. "And judging by your skills, you are definitely not ready to go against me."

The woman spied him. "Has she even told you?" the woman asked as she regained her composure and stood, sword in her hand, ready to strike. "About who she really is?"

"She doesn't even know who she is," Kakashi stated as he watched her every move.

The woman laughed. "How naieve of you," she said.

She attacked him once again, but this time, he was able to unarm her and forced her to the ground below him. Stradling her, he grabbed her by her arms and then pinned her to the ground with her legs.

"Who hired you?" he asked. "Why disguise yourself as Grass Jounin?"

The woman only laughed. "People you do not want to mess with, Hatake-san," she said. "Kill me, and you will have a war brought down on your people."

"War?"

"Give us what we want," she said with a smile. "Give us her."

Kakashi looked up to see Kie had subdued the man that attacked her, as she held a knife, hilt deep into him.

Kie breathed in deeply as the Hitai-ate slipped from her forehead. She tilted her head to one side as she felt his warm breath over her exposed flesh.

"Your brother?" Kie asked with a deep breath. "Your brother was Hanaro?"

"Your friends, your family will continue to be under attack if you do not surrender to us, Kie," the man stated. "My brother was witness to your full potential. And we will continue to come after you."

"It would be best if you leave my friends and family out of this," she said. "Or what I did to your brother, will happen to you."

The man laughed. "Do they even know, Kie?" the man whispered. "Do they know how dangerous you are?"

Kie breathed in deeply. "And they will never know," she said simply as she pushed the knife deeper into him.

A painful cry eminated from him, causing the woman that Kakashi had subdued to react. She was able to knock the copy ninja off of her, and quickly getting to her feet, she ran toward Kie, pushing the blind woman aside as she took the man into her arms.

"This will not be the last, Hashiba-san," the woman said and in a puff of smoke, the both of them disappeared.

Kakashi quickly ran toward where Kie was standing as she gathered the remnants of her staff. She turned as he approached her.

"They are no longer in the area," she simply stated as she slowly pulled her gloves from the belt of her waist and slipped them over her hands.

"Who were they?" Kakashi asked.

Kie shrugged. "Hired assasins," she said.

As she was about to turn, Kakashi caught her by her wrist and pulled her against him.

"You know more to this than you're letting on," he said, angrily. "They said they were after you. Why?"

Kie tried to pull her arm from his grasp, but he only tightened his grip.

"Why, Kie?"

"I dont know," she stated, anger in her voice. "Ever since I became a jounin, I've been attacked and nearly killed for something I am not aware of. They've threatened everyone I've known; my friends, my family, if I dont surrender to them. I dont even know who hired them in the first place."

Kakashi stared at her, eyeing the scar that crossed over her right eye. Lightening his grip on her arm, she slowly released herself from his grasp.

"Do you think it has to do with the same assassins who tried to kill you as a baby?"

Kie made no sign that she thought that or otherwise. She simply massaged her arm where he had grabbed her.

"The sun is about to rise soon," she said simply. "We should get an early start."

Kakashi could only watch as she made her way back toward the direction of their small encampment. He then looked down at the ground before him, picking up the remnants of the head protector she wore. The symbol of Rain etched into the metal.

"Sensei."

Kakashi turned as Neji dropped down from a branch above him.

"I apologize for not helping," the young man stated.

"It's alright," Kakashi stated. "The Hokage has you here for other reasons."

"And I now understand why."

"What is it?"

"I've seen her Chakra use before, and if I am right, sensei, she could be one of the most elite ninja I've ever seen," the young man stated. "And Im not even sure she even knows it."

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The rest of the journey to Grass was mostly in silence. Sakura, was oblivious to the happenings of the night before, but Kakashi wanted it to remain that way. The Kage of Grass was grateful for their timely delivery of the document that the Hokage had them deliver. He granted the team a night's stay, which afforded them the comforts of a hot bath and a fine meal.

Kie was sitting quietly on the porch that lined the outside of the room that she and Sakura was sharing. After a nice hot bath, she resigned herself to the quite of the small courtyard before her.

"Hashiba-sensei?"

Kie turned in the direction of the sweet voice as Sakura joined her.

"I made you this," the young girl said.

Sakura placed the hitai-ate she made into her hands.

"Sakura, you didn't have to."

"Since you'll be serving Konoha, I thought its time for a small change," she said sweetly. "Im sorry about your rain one."

Kie smiled as she felt the metal etched piece in her hand. "It happens," Kie said. "The wear and tear of traveling."

Sakura smiled. "Well, at least your first mission wasn't too eventful," she said. "But I guess the Hokage just wants you to get accustomed to how we do things."

Kie smiled. "Yes, I guess that is her intention."

"Sakura."

The two looked up to see Kakashi walking toward them. Sakura slowly got to her feet.

"Please see about the preperations for our depature tomorrow," he stated. "I wish to speak with Hashiba-san."

Sakura nodded before leaving, heading back into the room, closing the shoji doors behind her. Kie breathed in deeply as she laid the Hitai-ate Sakura had given her, on the wood floor beside her.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?"

"You know as much as I do."

Kakashi slowly kneeled beside her, then took a seat on the wood floor next to her. Looking at her, as her light lavender eyes focused on nothing of particular in front of her, his curiosity of her blindless could only be reaffirmed.

"The Hokage didn't assign you to this mission just for our sakes, Kie," he stated simply. "She knew you needed protec--."

"I can protect myself," she said, anger hinting in her voice as she quickly got to her feet. "I've been protecting myself since I was 14. I never asked for anyone's protection or sympathy, and Im not asking for that now." She fell silent for a moment, her hands tightly fisted at her sides. "I've lost too many friends because they felt the need to protect me."

"Maybe they were willing to give up their lives to see that you were safe," Kakashi offered.

"Then they were fools," she said.

"I know you don't believe that."

"Oh?" she asked turning toward him. "You honestly think that you know me enough to know what I believe or dont believe?"

Kakashi got to his feet and approached her. Taking her gloved hand into his, he placed a small object in the palm of her hand.

"If they were fools, you'd be a fool to carry this around, unless it meant something to you."

Kie closed her hand knowing what the object was. A small thin silver ring, one that she had hidden in her hitai-ate years ago.

"Friends; teammates, they look out for one another, Kie," Kakashi stated. "Sacrifice is a choice that one makes knowing that it could help another. Trust is something that is earned among your friends as well as teammates. You have to trust us, Kie. We are not your enemies, nor are we looking to be your enemies. We just want to know, what is it they are after."

"What do all men want, Hatake-san?" she asked simply. "What drives men to do horrible acts, at the cost of thousands of lives?"

She started toward the room she shared with Sakura and slowly slid the shoji doors open.

"That is why they are after me," she said. "They believe that I am able to give them what they want. That I am a means to obtain what they desire."

With that she entered the small room, closing the doors behind her.

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TBC

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**Author's Note:**  
Oohoo, two updates in one week! Enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6

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Legacy  
kakashi(underscore)lvr(at)yahoo(dot)com  
doesn't allow underlines/underscores for some awful reason.

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Chapter 6

Tsunade stared at the report on her desk, her hands folded in front of her as she rested her chin on them. Shizune stood quietly at her side as the masked jounin before them, waited for an answer.

"The document was delivered in tact?"

Kakashi was a little more than irritated with that question. After being followed to Grass, and nearly killed by two hired assassins, he found it quite odd that the only thing the Godaime would ask was about the damn document.

"The Kage of Grass thanks you for your timely response," Kakashi answered.

Meeting his solitary gaze, Tsunade slowly closed her eyes before standing. "I will read over your report and respond within the week," she stated. "Be sure that Sakura, Neji and Kie do the same."

Knowing that he was not going to get an explanation from the Hokage, Kakashi shoved his hands into his pockets before turning to leave.

"Hatake-san."

As he reached the door, he turned when she called him.

"In due time, I will explain to you what is going on," Tsunade stated. "But until then, I ask that you be patient." She then turned to face him and with a smile she added. "You should go and see Naruto. His team has just completed the 2nd task of the Chuunin Exams. 5 teams survived, including his. It will now be the practice month for them, and Im sure he is excited to put in as much training time as possible before he enters the third exam."

Kakashi slowly nodded before leaving the Hokage's office. Seating herself at her desk, Tsunade quickly flipped through the pages of Kakashi's report, noting their confrontation with the two hired assassins.

"Seems that even Kie is not willing to divulge what she knows," Tsunade stated.

"Will you be assigning her to a new mission?" Shizune asked.

Tsunade slowly shook her head. "Not until we commence with the third part of the Chuunin Exams," she said. "Whoever hired those assassins, now know that she is here within Konoha. The third task will bring shinobi from countries far and wide, and of course the high lords from those countries as well. Maybe, whoever hired those assassins will come here, either to lure her out..."

"Or take her forcefully?"

Tsunade nodded. "Until then, she will remain here," Tsunade said. "I'll have Sakura assigned under her so they can work closely together."

"What if whoever hired those assassins come before the third chuunin exam starts?"

Tsunade slowly shook her head. "To try something now, would only bring attention to their actions," she stated. "During the third part of the Chuunin exams, there would be enough distraction to accomplish what they want and need."

"Should we assign extra protection around Kie?"

"Not at this time," Tsunade stated. "I believe she isn't in any immediate danger. Please see that Neji Hyuuga reports to me as soon as he is able to."

"I'll go ahead and send your request."

Tsunade dismissed Shizune as she rested her arms on the desk before her, closing her eyes as she thought over the new problems she was now having to face in light of their recent recruit.

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It had been nearly two weeks since the mission, and Kakashi had not heard from the Hokage since he delivered his report. He couldn't dwell on it for too long since Naruto was now training for the third task of the Chuunin exam, and despite him doing well against Neji Hyuuga 3 years ago, his opponents would be different this time around, and would probably be against those he's never faced before.

He did find it odd that he had not seen Kie during this time. Happening by the hospital on more than one occassion to speak with Sakura or to gather her to help Naruto's in training, even the young kunoichi had not seen the blind shinobi.

Naruto however, was doing fine in his training for the upcoming trials. Confident as ever, Kakashi knew that Naruto was ready to face any fight that he would have to pass. Against whom, he did not know, but the young boy did improve his skills over the last few years with Jiraiya.

It was only on the day of the third Chuunin Exam, that Kakashi happened upon the young woman. As customary every morning since Obito's death, he was heading toward the Memorial stone when he saw that two figures were standing in front of the dark structure.

Shizune and Kie.

He didn't make any attempt to approach the small area, and watched as Shizune led Kie toward the stone, and kneeled before it. He couldn't hear anything they were saying, but watched as Kie reached out her hand to touch the stone's surface.

Not before long, the two women stood, offered a prayer and turned. It was then he decided to approach them.

"Ah, Hatake-kun," Shizune said with a smile. "How is Naruto's training coming along?"

Eyeing the two, Kakashi shrugged a bit, but was aware that Kie was holding onto her staff tighter than normal.

"As well as he can do," he stated. "Im sure that he will pass this time around."

Shizune slowly nodded.

"What brings you two here this early in the morning?"

"Kie wanted to see the memorial stone," Shizune quickly answered. She then smiled. "I meant, she wanted to know where we honor those who have given their life to the protection of Konoha."

Kakashi slowly nodded. "Honoring those who came before us, is special to our village."

Kie only nodded. "We have nothing like this back in Rain," she said, as Kakashi noticed her grip loosened on the staff she held. "Its good to know that you honor those that have given their lives."

"Some more than others," Kakashi stated.

Kie was silent for a moment. "Shizune, if you dont mind, I would like to visit with Naruto for a bit," Kie stated. "Im sure Hatake-san will be able to show me where he is."

Shizune slowly nodded. "The Chuunin Exams will start later today," she stated.

"I'll be sure to be there early," Kie stated.

Shizune slowly nodded as she released Kie's hold on her. She then nodded toward Kakashi before making her leave.

An uncomfortable silence then fell on the two shinobi left behind, but it was Kie's deep breath that broke it as she moved her staff from one hand to the other.

"Where would Naruto be today?" she asked simply.

Kakashi smiled to himself as he placed his hands in his pockets. "Im sure he's filling himself up at his favorite Ramen shop," he commented. "We may catch him there if we go now."

Kie smiled to herself before adjusting her staff. "Yes, we should,"

Kakashi watched as she pulled apart her staff and placed them into their respective holders. She then turned away from him and started her walk toward the village. He breathed in deeply, turning toward the memorial stone before following her. He wondered what the memorial stone would mean to her.

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Kakashi watched as Kie kneeled before Naruto, as they stood about 15 feet away from where he was. They were at the entrance to the arena, where they could already hear the cheers of visitors from various outlying countries to view the competition. Tsunade had yet to make her appearance, and he knew that two other kages were also visiting. He studied Naruto has he nodded several times as Kie spoke with him. About what, he did not know; but it seeme to give Naruto the support he needed to hear.

With a kiss to Naruto's forehead, Kie then stood and Naruto gave her his thanks before heading off toward the large complex. Pulling out her staff, Kie breathed in deeply as she listened as Naruto's footfalls faded into the cheering crowd.

"What did you tell him?"

Kie turned slightly, as she felt Kakashi approach her. "I just wanted to reassure him that he will do fine," she said with a smile. "And that the new techqniques he's learned will give him the needed assurance to win."

Kakashi slowly nodded.

"Kie-sensei!"

Kakashi turned to see Shizune and Genma approaching them. Kie turned in her direction and smiled as she felt them approach. Shizune breathed in deeply as she came to stand before Kie, and they were joined by Genma.

"Kie-sensei, Tsunade-sama wants you to join her in her viewing box," Shizune stated. "Your father, has made it from the Village of Rain to oversee the competition today."

Kie smiled. "Im surprised he made the journey," Kie stated. "He would always grumble that it was a long journey." She paused for a moment. "Ahh, Shiranui-san, I see that you were able to get out and about?"

Genma looked to Kakashi before the copy nin shrugged in an answer. "I think I've worn out my welcome at the hospital," he simply stated.

Kie smiled. "Yes, you were driving many of the nurses a little crazy," she said.

"So this is Naruto's big day?" Genma posed the question to Kakashi. "Seeing as all his other classmates are chuunin now."

Kakashi nodded. "And we have no doubt he will be able to achieve it this time around."

Genma breathed in deeply. "Seems there are a lot of visitors and dignitaries today," he commented. "I heard that your father is here as well, Hashiba-san."

Kie slowly nodded as she turned her head toward the direction of the cheers. "Im sure that he is here to check up on my status," she said with a smile. "This is the longest I've been away from my home in a long time."

"Kie, we should meet up with the Hokage," Shizune stated as she approached her. "I'll take you to see her."

Kie turned to her, positioning her staff in front of her. "Shizune," she said simply. "I dont think I'll be joining her anytime soon."

Kakashi quickly turned to her then noticed that a part of the ground had unearthed and a rock formation had formed around the blind kunoichi's right ankle.

"Kie," Genma nearly yelled as he noticed her predicament, reaching into the pouch he wore to pull out three senbon needles.

"They're underground," Kie stated.

And before they knew it, she was pulled underground.

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Kakashi ran as fast as he could, followed closely by Genma and Shizune. Taking to the rooftops over Konoha, they were on the tail of Pakkun, Kakashi's summoned dog, as he tracked down the path that whomever had kidnapped Kie had taken.

"What in all of Konoha is going on?" Genma yelled as he caught up with Kakashi, noticing that they were now hitting the edge of their village. "Why on this day?"

Kakashi turned to him. "They were waiting for a time when everyone would be gathered at the Arena, including much of the ANBU and elite Jounins," Kakashi stated. "Shizune!"

The young woman turned toward Kakashi as he stared at her.

"Now isn't the time to keep any more secrets on who Kie really is," he said. "Why is she being hunted by for hire ninjas?"

Shizune closed her eyes for a moment before opening them to meet his own. "I promise that if we can get her back, all will be revealed, Hatake-san," she said. "Until then, I am not at liberty to say."

Kakashi stared at her for a moment as the followed his summoned dog Pakkun. He didn't like the situation they were in, and after being involved in the first abduction of Kie Hashiba, he knew that there was more to here than Tsunade was letting on. What, he did not know, but if they were able to rescue the strange kunoichi, he was definitely going to get the answers he needed.

"This way!" Pakkun yelled as they came to a stop. "She's putting up a fight, judging by the pace they are taking."

Kakashi nodded and the three Jounins followed the small dog into the forest that bordered Konoha. Genma was quick to join him in the lead as they jumped from tree top to tree top, then taking a turn toward the high cliffs that were on the border of their country. They then took the graveled pathway as their trek brought them to a large waterfall.

"Did they cross?" Kakashi asked of Pakkun.

The little dog-nin sniffed the air for a moment then turned to him. "They're here."

With that, Shizune and Genma jumped out of the way as a rain of shuriken showered down on their location, quickly taking stances around each other as they stood in the small glade. Kakashi quickly turned around two see two ninja's sporting the Grass Village headbands emerge from the shrubs that bordered the treeline. Then finally, a third emerged from behind them, Kie draped over his shoulder, unconscious.

"It would be wise of you to leave us to our mission, Hatake-san," the ninja holding Kie stated. "This is of no concern to any of the ninja within Konoha."

Slowly pulling a kunai from his pouch, Kakashi stared down the young ninja. "It does concern us if you are kidnapping one of our citizens," he stated. "It would be wise of you to let her go and leave without incident."

The grass ninja laughed. "We are on a mission to bring this woman to justice, Hatake-san," he said. "Would you deny us to bring a murderer back to our village to pay for her crimes?"

"Murderer?"

The Grass Ninja slowly lowered Kie to the ground beside him. "Do you realize who she is?" the ninja asked.

"At this point, we only have your word on what she did," Kakashi said. "I suggest that we take this up with our Hokage until all is settled. She is after all, now a Konoha citizen."

The Grass Ninja only laughed. "She's always been a citizen of Konoha, Hatake-san," he said and then stared at him. Silence came over him. "Oh, how laughable. She hasn't told you has she?"

A slight moan came from Kie as she slowly shook her head and sit up. It was then the Grass Ninja who held her, grabbed her by her arm and pulled her to her feet, pulling out a kunai as he held it to her neck.

"She may be blind, and helpless looking to many other ninja," the Grass Ninja stated as he held the kunai closer to her neck. "But dont be fooled. She's responsible for the death of 12 of my clansmen."

Kie breathed in deeply as the metal tip of the kunai dug into her neck. She swallowed deeply as he pulled her head back.

"I would have loved to have taken your whole clan out for what your brother did to me, Kayui," Kie said.

"Kie, what is going on?" Kakashi yelled as he stepped toward them.

Kie let out a hiss as the Grass Ninja held the kunai close to her throat.

"Yes, tell them," he stated. "Tell them how this is all a facade; that you only act weak. Tell them who you really are; what kind of monster you can be."

Kie closed her eyes. "Kayui, I will only give you this chance. Take your men and leave," she said quietly. "Turn around and go back to your home country. You will not avenge your brother or your clansmen now or ever."

"If that be the case."

Shizune let out a loud gasp as the man holding her used his kunai and cut her throat. Kie's hands immediately went to her neck as he threw her down to the ground beside him, as she curled up into a fetal position.

Genma was quick to react as he threw three senbon toward the ninja, which the grass nin quickly dodged. The other two then started their attack toward Shizune and Kakashi, throwing a barrage of shuriken, needles and kunai.

Kakashi was quick to dodge one of the attacks as he eyed the ninja who hurt Kie. Slipping an exploding note to one of the other ninja's legs, he quickly pulled Shizune away, as the note exploded, causing the Grass Ninja to yell out in pain.

"You have to get to Kie," Kakashi stated as he pulled Shizune to her feet. "See if the cut wasn't deep."

"What about him?"

"I'll take care of him," he said. "I'll buy you sometime."

Genma and Kakashi then started to take on the remaning two Grass Ninjas, as Shizune made her way toward the fallen Kie. She was unmoving as she approached the down ninja.

Kneeling over her, Shizune quickly removed the young woman's hands from her throat, and nearly gasped when she saw that there was no injury. Did Kie heal herself? Before Shizune could answer herself, Kie slowly began to move, kneeling before bracing herself on all fours, her breathing became ragged, and hard.

"Kie?" Shizune stated.

"Im alright, Shizune," the young woman said as she held her eyes tightly closed. Reaching up, she pulled away her head protector, letting her hair fall loosely around her. "Where are they?"

"There are only two of the Grass Ninja's left," Shizune said.

"No, I mean Kakashi and Genma."

"In a stand off," Shizune stated. "About 10 meters to your left."

"Tell them to turn away."

"Turn away?"

"Now, Shizune!"

Shizune watched as Kie struggled to get to her feet. Her head hanging low, Shizune quickly stood.

"Kakashi! Genma! turn around, now!"

The Grass Ninjas and the two Konoha Jounins quickly turned to see Kie standing, her stance weak, as she held her head bowed.

"Kie?"

"Turn around now!" Shizune yelled.

Kie slowly stood upright, breathing in deeply as she slowly opened her eyes. Kakashi gasped, as he grabbed ahold of Genma and pushed him to the ground, blocking the jounin's view as he pulled up his own head protector and watched Kie through his Sharingan eye, closing his regular eye.

Then in a move he hadn't seen since his own sensei's death, he watched as Kie attacked the two Grass Ninja, catching them unawares, by such speed, hitting them in spots that only a Hyuuga clan member would know by heart. Sealing off their Chakra points, causing them to lose the energy needed to call up their own ninjustu techniques.

The two Grass Ninjas were now unmatched, as she attacked and snapped the neck of the younger one of the two, then proceeded toward the man who had kidnapped her; Kayui.

"Is this what you want, Kayui?" she asked anger in her voice. "After all, it was your father who attacked my family, all those years ago. Killing my mother; my father, and trying to rip out my eyes! It was your brother and your clansmen who tried to attack my village to try and take me when I was a child! All for what! To try and steal the secrets to my bloodlines? Was it worth it!"

Kayui could only stare at her as she approached him, backing up as her gaze met his. He then closed his eyes when she started her attack against him, quickly falling to the ground below him.

But it didn't come.

He slowly opened them to see Kakashi standing over him, as he held the young girl at bay. The copy ninja then met his gaze.

"Leave!" he yelled.

Kayui quickly got to his feet, running back into the forest.

Kie let out a scream, fighting against Kakashi's hold on her as her eyes flashed red with anger. Meeting her gaze, Kakashi almost felt his resolve weaken as she focused her gaze on him; but he held her as best as he could. He never thought he would ever see it in another individual, but here she was; standing before him, anger in eyes, as the unmistakened swirls of the Mangekyou met his own Sharingan eye.

"Today is not the day, Kie," he said calmly. "You've already done enough."

He then noticed that as she calmed, her breathing became long, the veins around her eyes smoothed out and soon, her eyes returned to their normal pale lavender selves. Then with a deep breath, she closed her eyes and fell to the ground before him.

Kakashi slowly looked toward Shizune and Genma as they approached him.

"Now you know," Shizune stated.

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TBC

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Author's Note:  
Sorry for the long wait for the update. Real life got in the way and Im starting on my new cosplay costume that is taking much of my free time. Hopefully the next update wont be as long. Enjoy.


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